Forever After: Revised edition
by His.Pointy.Tongued.Majesty
Summary: The Heirs are chosen. The Balance is set. The Land is threatened. When descendants of an evil long banished put a plan into action, life is changed by a mere child... a new Hero.
1. Night Ride

_So, here it is. The revision of Forever After. Now, I bet most of you are going, "But whyyy? Why not continue on with FAII? They were about to go into a _brothel_,__ for Pete's sake!" Yeah, yeah, I know. But I couldn't continue knowing that the first story was... very mediocre and amateurish. I have grown in maturity and as an author, and I feel that this new version will be a lot more pleasing, and entertaining, to read. And it will give me a peace of mind. So, if you choose not to read it, fine by me, since most of you know what's gonna happen anyway. I felt that I needed to do this. _

_Thanks for being patient with me. _

Chapter 1

_I need to find him… he has to know. No one else can know…_ She pulled her hood more around her face, hiding her appearance as she entered the courtyard, leading a magnificent horse. _He has to know._

She mounted, keeping her face covered with the cloak hood. It had been almost a month since the army had left, and with it, its mercenaries.

_Link…_ she had to see him. There was no other way.

She kicked the horse into a quick trot, clopping innocently over the bridge. Why it was down, she had no idea. But, she wasn't going to complain.

The night was deep, and an icy wind and rain pulled at her cloak, demanding her to take it off so the chill could creep onto her skin. She pulled her cloak tighter around her, and shivered.

The muddy road sucked at the horse's hooves. It made her nervous… like one mis-step could take them down beneath the wet and unrelenting surface.

As the night grew on, the wind and rain grew bitter. The water pelted her face, soaking her cloak and clothing. The wind made it even colder, threatening to freeze everything that was wet and already cold. It was unbearable… still, she rode on, determined.

She felt the horse beneath her grow jittery, and he snorted, breath swirling in the cold air. The princess patted the wet, white neck comfortingly, whispering words of encouragement.

And then there was a roar, and the horse screamed, bolting. She looked behind her, and cried out in fear as she saw through the rain a stalfos, chasing after them… and gaining ground.

The princess urged her horse on, digging her heels into the beast's heaving sides, desperate to get away from the monster chasing them.

The horse stumbled, and screamed as he fell into the muddy trap, throwing his rider out of the saddle. The princess cradled her head, splashing into the mud. She didn't look up as the sound of a sword entering flesh echoed around her, a squeal of pain from the horse and a snarl of triumph from the monster that killed him.

She quickly got to her feet, slipping and sloshing in the mud as she tried to run- hoping that the sounds of bone crunching meant that the stalfos was preoccupied.

But no sooner had she started running, the monster was after her, determined to not let this prey get away. With long, sweeping strides, the stalfos had run ahead of her, and turned, red eyes gleaming in the rain.

"Get away!" She screamed, sliding to a stop and turning to run the other way. However, she slipped, falling once more. In her frantic attempts to get up, her bracelet caught on a stray tree root. She could hear the thumping of the stalfos coming closer… her heart pounded in her ears.

The stalfos raised its sword, roared a maniacal cackle, and swung down. The princess shut her eyes, certain now that this would be the end…

There was a clang of metal, a grunt of surprise from the monster, and the princess opened her eyes.

Locked in a stalemate was a man, clothed in light armor and a heavy travel cloak. The princess could vaguely make out dark blonde hair plastered to the man's head from under the heavy hood. With a great heave, the swordsman pushed the stalfos out of the stalemate, making it stumble backwards in surprise. He did not turn to face the fallen princess, but kept his eyes locked on the red sockets of the beast.

The stalfos roared, and jumped at the swordsman. He blocked expertly, booted feet nimbly leaping to the left and he smashed the butt of the hilt into the monster's skull before jumping away. The monster swung its large sword, seemingly clumsy in its actions but accurate in its mark.

The man again jumped out of the way, escaping too late though, when the sword cut him high on his forearm. If it hurt, he let out no sound but quickly attacked the stalfos, swinging the long-sword with such ferocity and skill, the princess couldn't help but be reminded of a that person she had been looking for.

And then the hood fell back, revealing crystalline eyes, blue as the noonday sky. She drew in a gasp- she knew those eyes. Those eyes that always revealed emotions, sparkling during times of joy or crackling with dangerous anger. Those eyes that enraptured her, making it hard to breath or think as she looked, getting lost in the blue depths…

His battle cry brought the princess back to reality as the swordsman leapt, sword high above his head before bringing it down on the stalfos. He slammed the flat side of the blade against the monster's head, sending it off of the skeletal frame and rolling into the mud. The rest of the body stilled, and collapsed in a pile of bones.

The swordsman walked over to the head, which was still snarling incomprehensively, and brought his foot down on top of it, crushing it. He sheathed the sword, and walked over to the fallen princess, eyes calming until they were filled with compassion as his mouth slowly split into a smile. "Your Highness." He made a sweeping bow, however mocking it was.

The princess felt a sob rack at her body. She got to her feet, oblivious to her disheveled appearance. She took a shaky step towards the swordsman, before collapsing into his arms, letting out a sob.

"Oh, Zelda. What have you done now…?" he stroked her hair, smoothing out any mud that had collected there. "Sick of castle life and decided to try to get mauled by a stalfos?"

Zelda shivered, holding herself closer to him. "Link… I missed you. I..." she drew in a shuddering breath, "I have to tell you something."

"Later, Zelda love. Let's get you out of this rain and cleaned up, hm?" Link looked down into the princess's eyes, hands on both of her cheeks and thumbs brushing away stray strands of hair.

Hesitantly, she nodded, taking Link's gloved hand in her cold one. Link put his arm around her shoulder, draping his cloak over her as well as he led her over to the chestnut mare standing obediently near a tree.

"Hello, Epona." Zelda stroked the mare's nose, "Have you been good for your master?"

Link laughed as he adjusted the stirrups, "Stubborn as ever. Now, come here." He held out his hand, a calm expression on his face.

Zelda nodded, and allowed herself to be lifted into the saddle, only after Link stole a chaste kiss. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Put this on. You'll be warmer," Link unhooked the brooch at his throat, and handed her his travel cloak, exposing the light armor and tunic to the rain and cold.

She took it in her hands, wrapping the cloth around her shoulders. "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. You need it more than I do." He smiled reassuringly, before taking Epona's bridle in hand, and began to lead her. The great warhorse's hooves made sucking noises as she pulled them out of the mud.

Zelda placed her hands on the horn of the saddle, turning to look over her shoulder at the pile of bones that was sinking in the mud. "…Thank you, Link."

Link gazed at her over his own shoulder, and smiled. "No need to thank me."

"But I'd be dead had you not come!" Zelda protested.

"Zelda," Link leveled his stare, "you don't have to thank me." He repeated.

She didn't say anything more on the subject, and wrapped the cloak tighter around her.

The rain didn't stop- it came down harder. There wasn't a single space where she could see starry skies; they were all covered with dark, ominous clouds.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Link gestured to a cave that dug into the mountainside.

"What're you doing in a cave?" Zelda dismounted, looking around.

Link took the bridle off of Epona's head, patting her on the neck before moving to remove her saddle, "I'm trying to catch up with the army. They sent me back with dispatches and I'm on my way back." He smacked Epona's wet rump after heaving the saddle onto his shoulder. The mare snorted and walked back out into the rain to graze on the soaking grass.

Zelda watched him as he dumped the horse tack onto the ground by a makeshift fire-pit, before he began smacking flint and stone together, trying to get a fire going. "If you had brought dispatches… why didn't you come by the castle?"

"They were dispatches to an officer who was to give them to the council. I wasn't anywhere near Castle Town." He looked up at her, almost regretfully before blowing on a small ember.

Soon, a fire was eating away at the wood, a pot of water sitting over the top of it, and Link had _Du´lin _unsheathed and on his lap, the firelight catching on the silver blade as he sharpened it. Zelda watched the flickering of the light… The slender blade was truly something magnificent, however paling in comparison to the legendary level of beauty that belonged to the Master Sword.

His master gave Link's current sword to him when he completed his apprenticeship from the greatest blacksmith in Hyrule. The hilt had gold plating wrapped around the bottom, cradling a gem that replicated the Kokiri emerald in the pommel. Dark leather had been wrapped delicately around the long grip; at the head of the grip, the cross-guard had intricate leaves carved into the gold.

The blade, slender and long, had Hylian characters carefully carved into the steel above the cross-guard, reading as thus, _"Enforcer of Hyrule and Vanquisher of Darkness." _From this phrase, the sword's name had been derived- _Du´lin, _meaning "Nightingale." Above the phrase there, there rested a small triforce, the symbol of Hyrule.

Lying next to Link was the scabbard, an equally magnificent piece of work. Gold nailing in dyed blue leather, long enough to fit the long blade. There was triforce embossed into the leather, as well.

Link sheathed the sword, and set it aside; he replaced the sword in hand with a cloth. He took the pan of steaming water off of the fire with the cloth, and set it on the ground. "You want to wash up?" He held the cloth out to Zelda.

She nodded, taking it from his hand and dipping it in the steaming water before rubbing it on her muddy face.

Link watched her carefully. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Oh," Zelda ran the wet cloth over her arms, scrubbing at the dried mud, "it's… it's nothing."

"Earlier you said you needed to tell me something." Link moved so that he was sitting next to her, and put his hand on hers, halting her movement, "What's wrong?"

"Just…" she started before her heart fluttered at the touch of his feather-light lips caressing her jaw-line, skin tingling from the contact. He put his arm around her waist, drawing her closer.

"Tell me, or I'll keep doing this until you faint. Because I know you will." He whispered tauntingly into her ear, before running his lips down her neck and to her shoulder.

Zelda could barely breathe… how she had missed him. She closed her eyes, and sighed out, "It can wait. I am tired. And you're bleeding."

"I'll be fine," Link chuckled, nuzzling the hollow of her shoulder gently, "you _however, _was attacked by a stalfos."

He pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her loosely, resting his head on her shoulder. Zelda turned her head so that her cheek was resting on his forehead; she placed her hand on the other side of his head, softly stroking his hair. She closed her eyes. "I missed you…" she whispered, kissing his temple.

Link hummed, and closed his eyes. Zelda shivered when his eyelashes tickled her skin. "Any suitors come by?" Link mumbled, good-humouredly.

Zelda groaned. "A few."

"And?" He laughed.

"Stuck up, self-absorbed, arrogant… the usual." She mumbled, opening her eyes the slightest, and flicking them to stare at the far cave wall.

Link kissed her neck. "You ready to tell me what's wrong?"

"…in the morning, Link." Zelda whispered.

He put his cheek against hers, and sighed. "Okay. I'm holding you to your word." He leaned back so that he was resting against the saddle, and hugging Zelda to him.

Zelda twisted around so that she was resting her head on Link's chest. Her eyes started to close as she listened his heart slowly and rhythmically beating… she'd tell him tomorrow.

Zelda pushed the heavy cloak off of her, and sat up, stretching. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as the smell of a smoking fire reached her nose. Opening them slowly, she found that it was dawning outside, a picturesque sunrise with Epona standing to the left, grazing and swishing her tail peacefully. The mare raised her head, and looked down the hill, and nickered pleasantly, stamping her hoof.

Link trudged up the hill, fishing net in hand. He hadn't noticed that Zelda had yet awoken. It wasn't until he actually stepped into the cave that he saw her awake and watching. He smiled, and set the morning's catch down on a mat. "Good morning. Sleep well?"

Zelda looked at him, and then the sunrise. "How long ago did _you_ wake up?"

He let out a barking laugh. "About two hours ago. Breakfast is easier to catch when they're still aimlessly swimming around in their sleep."

"Oh," Zelda pulled apart her hair that still had dried mud in it.

"So," Link poked the fire with a stick, "let us recap on the past events that has occupied the past twenty-four hours."

Zelda sighed, and pushed the dirt with her toe. "I ran away from the castle-"

"And there is where I interrupt." Link threw the stick into the fire, and peered at her with his blue eyes. "Why? It's the morning, you promised that you'd tell me what was wrong."

Zelda stared straight into his eyes—she couldn't keep it from him for long. With a deep, shuddering breath, she opened her mouth…


	2. Runaways

Chapter 2

Link sat on a fallen log, hands clasped and resting his lips against them, eyes narrowed slightly as he stared into space. This… was not good. This was very _bad_. Needless to say, he was in trouble.

He exhaled through pursed lips, and ran his hands through his hair in an attempt to calm his beating heart.

_"Link… I'm pregnant."_ Zelda had said. This had come as a complete, and utter shock to him, sending freezing chills down his spine. The world had stopped, and his ability to comprehend anything went away.

That had been a good hour and a half ago.

He knew he had to stay with Zelda. He knew it wasn't fair to abandon her… but if he stayed with her… Link was well known, and well liked, throughout Hyrule Castle Town. Much more, Zelda would be marked as an adulteress, a whore, and _her_ esteemed reputation would be shattered. And it was his fault.

But Zelda couldn't just up and _leave_ Hyrule. She was the princess- the next in line for the throne, once her father passes into the next realm.

"Oh, Goddesses…" he sighed out in exasperation. If push came to shove and they did have to leave Hyrule… he would be marked for desertion. Treason. He would have to live in exile…

There was a hand on his shoulder, and he took it. "Link…" it was Zelda. She sounded tired, worried, and scared.

Link stood and drew her close for a hug. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out…" he whispered, mostly to reassure himself.

Zelda was silent, finding comfort in Link's warm embrace. "…you don't have to stay for me."

At this, Link took her by the shoulders, and looked the princess square in the eyes. "Zelda, I do. I do have to stay. I'm not going to let you go through this on your own… even if I am hated for it."

"Who will hate you?" Zelda's tone rose slightly in volume. "We'll have to run. I can't go back- not until the baby is born. I am the _princess_ of Hyrule. I can't… you understand, don't you?"

Link's blue eyes filled with sorrow for Zelda, and he nodded. "Then we'll run. Does… Impa know?" Impa, Zelda's most trusted advisor and care-taker. Seven years ago, when Link held the Master Sword, Impa hid Zelda away from Ganondorf and was one of the seven sages. Like Zelda, Link trusted Impa with his life.

Zelda nodded. "I told her. She knows… and I'm sure she'll understand and cover for me while I'm away."

"Good, good." Link rubbed an eyebrow before sighing, and laughing. "This… well, it's not what I expected when I found you last night."

A sad smile twitched at Zelda's lips. "It wasn't what I was expecting either."

Link put a hand on her cheek, and leaned in for a kiss before the sound of hooves coming up the hill reached his ears. He jumped in front of Zelda, throwing a protective arm in front of her and he drew his sword as seven horsemen galloped up.

"Surrender the princess, sir, and you will not be harmed." The leader demanded.

"Surrender...?" Link asked himself, confused.

The leader rode up to Link and Zelda menacingly. "I'll ask you once more: surrender the princess Zelda and you will not be harmed."

"Captain," Zelda stepped out from behind Link, "this soldier saved me from a stalfos last night, and has taken care of me. He was just about to return me to the castle and resume his duty with the army."

The captain's expression faltered a bit before he cleared his throat. "Oh, my apologies. It's just that once you were discovered missing…"

"Understandable. I commend you for your duties. Now, I will meet you at the foot of the hill. There are a few things I wish to speak to –Shea, was it?- about." Zelda quickly turned to give Link a coy, discreet wink.

The captain nodded and saluted. "Thank you, Your Highness." He wheeled his horse around, and rode to the front of the cavalry group. They rode down the hill and out of sight.

Zelda quickly turned to face Link. "Meet me tonight at Eldin Bridge. Midnight."

Link nodded, "We'll head for Termina from there." He stole a quick kiss before she began to retreat backwards. "I'll see you tonight."

The princess didn't want to break eye contact. "I love you." And then she turned and hurried down the hill to where the search party waited for her.

Inside the castle, Zelda frantically raced around her room, packing only what she needed, which were a few rather plain dresses, and throwing in a bag full of rupees. It was when her door was knocked upon that she kicked the almost-packed bag under her four-poster bed before saying in a calm voice, "Enter."

A tall woman with shocking white hair and maroon eyes walked in. "Zelda, you look like you've just ran the length of Lake Hylia Bridge." Impa closed the door behind her.

Zelda's posture relaxed. "Impa, you know you don't have to knock."

The sheikah woman raised a sharp eyebrow. "So, what's in the bag?" She swept her foot under the bed and kicked the bag out.

"Impa, please understand what I'm about to say now," Zelda took her care-taker's calloused hands in her own, "Link and I… we're leaving. We're running to Termina…" she trailed off, trying to read the woman's tanned face.

Her full lips didn't move, her eyes showed no emotion. All was silent and still until she asked, "It's about the baby, isn't it?" Her tone was warm and motherly.

"We can't stay here… Link can't stay here. I don't want to ruin his life by being selfish and making him stay…"

"Zelda," Impa started sternly, "his life will be ruined whether you run or stay. By running, he will be charged with treason to Hyrule by, technically, kidnapping you and deserting the army. Link can _never_ come back."

Zelda closed her eyes to barricade tears. "…I know."

Impa's face softened, bringing in Zelda for a warm embrace. "If it was anyone else but that boy, I would want you to stay. But I trust him, not because he is the Hero of Time, but because he's honest, selfless, and he loves you. I can tell… by willingly giving up all he has just to protect you, I know he loves you more than anything else."

Zelda's lower lip trembled before she buried her face into the sheikah's shoulder. "Oh, Impa… How can I be so selfish? I pale in comparison to Link!"

"You're eighteen. You may be the Seventh Sage, and carrier of the Triforce of Wisdom, but for you there is still so much for you to learn, still so much room for you to grow." Impa stroked Zelda's hair comfortingly.

"But, Impa… when I told Link, he didn't react negatively, like I would have thought a boy of nineteen would have… he just said he needed to think for a bit… and then, when I was scared and sure he was going to leave, he seemed so calm about it all…" Zelda sniffed and wiped away her tears.

"I'm sure that the prospect at being a father terrifies Link. More so than any other ordeal he's had to face in his lifetime. And," Impa brushed away a stray lock of blonde hair from Zelda's eyes, "he has to learn to overcome it, exactly how he's done in the past. It takes courage to take something like this head on, when he could just have easily walked away."

Zelda mulled over that bit of advice, and nodded. "Thank you, Impa. You always know how to make sense of a situation…" she smiled at the sheikah woman.

Impa smiled at the princess, and kissed her forehead. "Now, is there anything you need me to do? Such as… smuggle you out of the castle?"

A grin tugged at Zelda's mouth.

Impa snapped the reins against the horse's back, and the wagon rattled as it moved along the cobblestone street. There were only a few people out at this time of night, and they were mostly drunkards trying to make their way home, or a few late-night street performers. None of them paid Impa or the wagon much attention.

Torches lit the street, and the clops of the horse's hooves echoed slightly around them until Impa drew up in front of the south gate. "Open the gate!" She called up to the watchtower. "Open this gate on behalf of the royal family."

A head poked itself over the edge of the battlements. "'m sorry, ma'am! 'dis gate is s'pposed to remain closed from th' time th' sun go down t' th' time it go up! No exceptions!"

Impa chewed on her bottom lip. "Then are you going to be the one to tell His Highness, King Harkinian, _why_ in particular this medical supplies didn't get to the village by Lake Hylia?"

The watchman groaned, "Aw, shucks, ma'am! Did th' lake flood 'gain? Why didn' ya say so? Hold on jus' a cuckoo-call."

As the gate opened, Impa couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She waved to the watchman once the gate was wide enough for the wagon to pass through. It shut behind her.

Impa clicked her tongue, and snapped the reins. "Gi'up!" The horse broke into a swift trot along the road. She looked up- must be a good hour away from midnight. The moon wasn't completely overhead yet.

"Impa."

The sheikah opened the front flap of the wagon and peered inside. "You're safe to come and sit up here now, if you want."

Zelda clambered out from under various blankets and from in between barrels and boxes to sit up by Impa. "Is it true about that village?"

Impa shrugged, and gently snapped the reins again, "Probably." She snorted in amusement.

The princess hunched over, wringing her hands nervously. _What if he doesn't show up? What if he decided to stay…? What if he decided to leave me?_ She shook her head. _No. He wouldn't do that. Link wouldn't do that._

They came to Eldin Bridge, and sure enough, there stood Link with Epona, his travel cloak wrapped around his shoulders. It wasn't until the wagon drew closer that he lit the lantern that was hooked to Epona's saddle. He said nothing.

Impa reined in the horse, and jumped off the driving seat. She, too, was silent as she reached into the wagon, and gave Zelda an armful of blankets. "Take these. It gets cold at night, this time of year…" her voice sounded thick as she kept her gaze down, refusing to look at Zelda.

Zelda took the blankets, and nodded… before she dropped them and flung herself at Impa, throwing her arms around the woman's neck with a quiet sob. "I'm going to miss you."

Impa rubbed the princess' back. "And I you, my dear one." Zelda couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the sheikah cry. But the fact that she was crying now made _her_ want to cry even harder… a strong woman like Impa shouldn't cry. Impa released Zelda, took her by the shoulders and kissed her forehead, before touching her fingers to her own lips and pressed them against her own forehead and then chin. "May the Goddesses bless your journey, and may their mercy bring us together again."

Zelda wiped her eyes and nodded, mimicking the movement of fingers to her forehead and chin. "May the Goddesses watch over you." She picked up the blankets and walked over to Link and Epona, looking back at Impa.

Impa had caught Link's eyes, and she nodded a silent thanks to him. He, in turn, closed his eyes, and pressed his fingers to his lips, and signed his silent blessing. It amazed Zelda to no end the amount of respect these two had for each other, to the point that they could communicate wordlessly, as she and Link could those many years ago when their Triforces were bound to each other.

Link touched Zelda on the arm, and he helped her mount Epona, tucked between the blankets and more travel equipment behind her. The tall mare stamped a giant hoof impatiently.

"Zelda," Impa walked up to Epona's side as Link was tightening a few straps in last-minute preparation, "I have one more thing I want to give you."

Puzzled, Zelda watched as Impa reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, delicate, golden chain. On the end of it, was the insignia of the Hylian Royal Family- the phoenix holding the Triforce in its claws. "For your child… to be reminded of who they are."

As the necklace was placed in her hands, Zelda felt a sob well up in her chest. "Impa… I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything. Link, are you ready?" Impa looked over Epona's flank.

Link pulled himself up into the saddle behind Zelda, reaching around her to grasp the reins. "We'll ride hard until we reach the Hyrule border- no horse in Hyrule is faster than Epona."

Impa nodded. "After you cross the border, travel five leagues and turn west. I have a friend who will house you until you can get yourselves settled. I'll send word by hawk to prepare her for you."

"Thank you, Impa." Link inclined his head.

The older woman smiled sadly. "Now get going, before Zelda's absence is discovered." She slapped Epona's flank as Link barked and kicked the mare's sides. Epona shot off into the dark, heavy hooves slowly echoing away into the night air…


End file.
